Zither



(No Model.)

G. OSSWALD.

ZITHER.

Patented Oct. 26., 1886.

WITNESSES: %///)%w )5. WW

ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

(IE EEMIAS OSSIVALD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ZITHER.

- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,710, dated October 26, 1886.

Application filed August 10, 1886. Serial No. 210,580. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEREMIAS Ossnnuin, a citizen of Germany, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Zithcrs, which are fully set forth in the fol lowing specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my improved zither, and Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section on the plane m of Fig. 1.

Like letters refer to like parts.

The object of my invention is to improve the construction of the zither in such a mannor as to increase the volume of tone over any like instrument heretofore produced; and to that end I construct myinstrmnent as follows, namely:

To the common form of zithcr A, I add a resonancechamber, B. This I do follows, namely: In place of the ordinary back of the zither I attach a thin back, 9, extending be yond the zither A in theform of a margin several inches, (more or less,) according to the desired effect or volume of tone and also ornamental. effect, and around the edges are attached the thin sides, as clearly indicated in the broken line in Fig. 1. To these sides a thin bottom, 71, is attached, which is strengthened by thepieces e, secured toit. Said pieces swell at the center and taper toward their ends, as shown in Fig. 2, and are placed in about the relative position as indicated in Fig. 1. The usual opening, 0, is cut in the top of the old part A, and in its new bottom 1 is cut a hole, (2, (shown in this case in the form of an f,) and upon its borders are cut holcsf, for the purpose of freely emitting the sound.

All the parts of thcresonant-chamber B are made as light as the nature of the material will permit.

By this construction I have found that I can increase the volumevol' sound to from double to three times that of the present instrumcnt.

What I claim isl. A zit-her formed of the chamber A and resonant chamber B, projecting beyond the chamber A, and having a bottom, g, which forms the top of the chamber B, and which is provided with an opening, d, and the chamher A with an opening, 0, substantially as specified.

2. A zither formed of the two chambers A and B, of which the under one, 13, projects beyond the upper one, A, and is provided with openings f in said projecting part through the board 9, and is also provided with an opening,

d, through the board 9, under the opening 0 of the chamber A, substantially as specified.

GEREMIAS OSSWALD. \Vitnesses:

M. ZIMMERMAN, H. FIsoHnn. 

